You’ll want to check out the Klipsch X10i, Ultimate Ears TripleFi 10vi and Shure SE530 (with the PTH accessory) earphones if you want a serious pair of earphones and have £200 or so burning a hole in your pocket. But which of the three? We took a pair of each for a lengthy sonic test drive to see which will suit your ears. Find out which triumphed in this part of our Klipsch X10i review.
Read the rest of our Klipsch X10i review
Klipsch X10i review
Klipsch X10i review: Sound quality
Klipsch X10i review: Meet the rivals
In a nutshell
Later, we’ll delve further into the sonic skills of these three earphone heavyweights, but for a potted conclusion for each, the Shure SE530s are big and warm, the Ultimate Ears TripleFi 10vis are bright and exciting and the Klipsch X10i earphones are thrillingly bassy and balanced.
With these three kings of sound, it’s not so much a question of which is categorically better as it is which your ears will prefer. Read on for more detailed insight into the Ultimate Ears TripleFi 10vi, Klipsch X10i and Shure SE530.
In the bass-ment
Here’s the big surprise. The smallest earphones are the ones that manage to conjure-up the most low-end grunt of the three. The Klipsch X10is reach down deeper than either the Ultimate Ears TripleFis or Shure SE530s. The Ultimate Ears ‘phones come close, but the ultra-low end swell of the Klipsch X10is can’t be beaten for pumping dance music. For a pair of earphones with two subwoofer units snuggled into each bud, the Shure SE530s don’t extend all that far down the bass ladder. However, a little further up – into what might be called the mid-bass zone – the SE530s come into their own.
Middle of the road
The warm swell of the upper end of the Shure SE530s’ bass response continues into lush, full-bodied mids that show up what these earphones are truly good at. By focusing on the mid-range, a rarity in earphones, the Shure SE530s end up sounding warm, mature and very, well, big. Vocals benefit hugely from these full-bodied mids.
Neither the Ultimate Ears TripleFi 10vi nor Klipsch X10i earphones can match up to the warmth of the SE530s, but both offer a well-balanced mid-range. With less of a reliance on its treble to assert presence and detail than the Ultimate Ears ‘phones, the Klipsch X10is middling frequencies win more of the spotlight. They’re still not particularly warm-sounding earphones though, not compared to the Shure SE530.
The Sopranos
At this level of earphone prowess, you can expect a pair of buds to do at least one thing very, very well – and now it’s the Ultimate Ears TripleFi 10vi’s turn. If you like a bright-sounding set of earphones, they supply staggering levels of high-end detail.
In direct comparison, the Ultimate Ears TripleFi 10vi earphones make the Klipsch X10is and Shure SE530s sound positively dim. The SE530s feature Shure’s signature rolled-off treble frequencies, but in the case of the Klipsch X10is, it’s simply testament to the sheer crystalline perfection of the TripleFi 10vis’ trebly bits.
There’s no sibilance either. Very few earphones manage to stay this bright and trebly while staying easy on the ear. The cheaper Ultimate Ears 700 earphones didn’t manage it, for one.
Everything but the buds
Each of these three high-end earphones comes with an accessory that’s quite apart from the sound-pumping side of the deal. The Ultimate Ears combo is the simplest, with a small mic port and similarly-sized separate call button sitting at separate points down the headphone cable. Light and small, it’s perfect if you just want a near-invisible hands-free call option.
The Klipsch X10i earphones opt to add some extra functionality to the hands-free mic ‘n’ button combo with some additional remote control buttons that let you change music tracks and volume with an iPhone or iPod Touch. It’s more conspicuous than the Ultimate Ears’s hands-free call solution, but as the remote is still very light, it’s worth the sacrifice. The Shure’s PTH (Push to Hear) add-on is unconventional, large and heavy, but still very cool. It’s a battery powered module that pipes the noise of the outside world into your ears at the push of a button – there’s a microphone on the PTH unit. It won’t let you make calls with the Shure SE530s though.
Read the rest of our Klipsch X10i review
Klipsch X10i review
Klipsch X10i review: Sound quality
Klipsch X10i review: Meet the rivals
